As the Ohanaeze Ndigbo presidential general election draws closer, this is how things stand.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo is an Igbo socio-cultural organization in Nigeria. The group aims to represent the interests of all Igbo communities within and outside Nigeria.
After the 1967 Nigerian Civil War, prominent Igbo leaders felt the need to galvanize the displaced Igbo people into one umbrella body that would serve as a protection and unifying force for the common interest of the Igbo. Hundreds of these prominent Igbos convened to unify Igbos under a new umbrella organization, the Igbo National Assembly.
In 1976, the Igbo Forum was undauntedly formed with Dr. Francis Akanu Ibiam as chairman, Justice Daddy Onyeama as Vice Chairman, Chief Jerome Oputa Udoji as Secretary General, and Mr. Jacob Ukeje Agwu as Assistant Secretary. Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe was its patron. In 1979, the Igbo Forum was renamed Ohaneze Ndigbo.
Thus, the pan-Igbo organization, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, was largely created in 1979 by Professor Ben Nwabueze, a constitutional lawyer, who served as its Deputy President.[citation needed] Dr. Francis Akanu Ibiam served as its president.
In July 2023, the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu died
Chief Iwuanyanwu was the second Ohanaeze Ndigbo leader to die in office within three years. He succeeded Ambassador George Obiozor, who passed away in December 2022.
Iwuanyanwu assumed office as the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo worldwide on April 20, 2023
In December 2024, Ohanaeze announced the appointment of Fidelis Chukwu as its new president-general to complete the Imo State tenure which ends on January 10, 2025.
Going into this election
Rivers State will produce the next president-general in line with its constitutional provision for rotating the office among member states.
In anticipation of the January 10, 2025, election for the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, the electoral committee has announced an increase in aspirants from Rivers State vying for the position of President General.
In a recent statement, Chief Ejiofor Onyia, the chairman of the Ohanaeze electoral committee, outlined the preparations and confirmed the committee’s commitment to conducting elections at the national, state, and local government levels.
Chief Onyia revealed that the election of the 17-member national executive would take place at the organization’s headquarters in Enugu. Meanwhile, elections at the state and local government levels will be managed by committee members assigned to each region.
The committee chairman noted that elections at the state and local levels will commence on January 7. He clarified that there will be no ballot papers; instead, the elections will utilize the Option A4 method, which will allow for greater visibility during the process. In this system, all verified candidates will be positioned prominently, and delegates from various states will line up behind their preferred candidates.
Without disclosing identities, Chief Onyia indicated that two prominent figures from Rivers State had already picked up nomination forms for the President General position. He urged the states to elect individuals of integrity at all levels to ensure that credible leaders are chosen to guide Ohanaeze Ndigbo.
He assured of a level playing field for all the candidates in the election and urged credible Igbo sons and daughters to put themselves forward for election.
The electoral committee also refuted false reports claiming that the nomination form for the President General position costs one million naira. They clarified that the fee remains the same as in 2021: 500,000 naira for the president-general, 400,000 nairas for the Deputy president-general, 300,000 nairas for the Secretary-General, 250,000 nairas for the Vice president-general, and 100,000 nairas for the other positions.
At the state level, the form for the Chairman position costs 100,000 naira, with the Vice Chairman and Secretary priced at 70,000 naira. Other positions are set at 30,000 naira.
At the local government level, the Chairman’s form costs 50,000 naira, while the Vice Chairman and Secretary are 30,000 naira each; other positions are 20,000 naira.
